Motor-cycle frame.



W. S. HARLEY.

MOTOR CYCLE FRAME.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19, 1911..

Patented May 21, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

GQIJ/MUWYOJ: $2227, 5%

w. s. HARLEY.

MOTOR CYCLE FRAME.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. Y9. 1917- 1,266,589, Patented May 21,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET '2.

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w. s. HARLEY, MOTOR CYCLE FRAME.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. )9. 1917.

Patented May 21; 1918.

3 SHEET$-SHEET 3.

mar sans FIG.

WILLIAM S. HARLEY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR 1'0 HARLEY-DAVIDSONMOTOR 00., F 'MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

MOTOR-CYCLE FRAME.

Specification of batters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1918.

Application filed September 19, 1917. 7 Serial No. 192,114.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. HARLEY,

a citizen of the United States, and resident tain new and usefulImprovements in Motor-Cycle Frames; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof,

My invention refers to vehicle frames, such as bicycles, motorcycles, orthe like, the same being especially adapted to be used in connectionwith the latter.

In endeavoring to build a comparatively light motorcycle of sufficientstrength of parts to stand more or less rough usage, I-

have found that a frame constructed in accordance with the presentinvention will act as a most efiicient foundation for the remainingparts of which a motorcycle is formed.

In working out the idea or object in view of providing such a machine asabove set forth, it has been found expedient to hang the power plant inthe lower part of the frame in a new and novel manner.

One of the several other objects of the present invention is to providea simply constructed frame, the parts of which are so arranged that allthe elements of a motorcycle, which are attached thereto, may besupported in a very compact and efficient manner.

The invention relates to the novel arrangement of parts, which will behereinafter more particularly described and claimed, and shown in thedrawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a portion of amotorcycle, the novel parts thereof being shown in heavy, shaded lines.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the planeof the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are detail, sectional views taken respectively on thelines 33, 4-4, and 55 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of an attaching block shown in sectionin Fig. 2, one

H, and the front fork F, the latter being rotatably mounted in asteering head 1. The power plant P of this improved machine consists ofan internal combustion engine having a pair of horizontally arranged0pposed cylinders C, said power plant being hung in the lower portion ofthe frame in a manner to be hereinafter more particularly set forth.

The steering head 1 forms a portion of a steering head cluster bracket 2with one part of which the upper reach bar 3 of the frame is connected,another part of the cluster having a rearwardly inclined head bar 4fixed therein. The reach bar 3 and the head bar 4, as well as othersimilar parts of the frame, are preferably formed of the usual tubingand are connected together, or ltokthe clusters, by means of welding orthe The rear end of the upper reach bar 3 is secured in a seat mastcluster bracket 5 to which is, also, connected a seat mast 6, the

latter extending downwardly and forwardly toward the head bar 4 from thefree end of which it is spaced a considerable distance, as shown inFig. 1. The usual rearwardly and downwardly inclined rear fork 7 ispivoted, or otherwise connected, to the cluster bracket 5 and is adaptedto straddle the rear wheel W, the axle 8 thereof being held in the axleplates 9 carried by the free'ends of the bars of said fork. The head bar4 and the seat mast 6 are rigidly braced by a horizontally disposedlower reach bar 10, the ends of which are connected to the firstmentioned members intermediate their ends. The space between the upperand lower reach bars is designed to be filled by the usual oil andgasolene tank T.

The upper rear fork 7 in the present machine is braced by the lower rearfork 11 formed of a pair of tubular bars 12, the rear ends of which areattached to the axle plates 9, while the forward ends are connected withan attaching block 13, which is carried on the lower free end of theseat mast 6. Particularly from Figs. 2 and 6, it will be seen that thisattaching block 13 consists of a casting having a substantiallyrectangular portion 14 having a centrally apertured opening to receivethe seat mast 6, and the 15 has a pair of studs 16 formed integrallytioned there'between.

extend therethrou'gh therewith, which are adapted to extend into" thetubular bars '12 andbe secured thereto by brazing or weldlng. 1 Saidplate 15 isadapted to support the other elements of the motorcycle,which form no part of the' present invention.

The lower f'ee'end of the head barfl else has an attaching member 17secured thereto, this member being substantially right angular-,=-asshown in F19; 1. It is secured to the he'adba-r by forming asocket"adjacent the intersection of its arms andextending the end 'ofthe barthereinto, the joint, thus formed being rendered rigid by welding orbrazing.

One-of the arms of the member 17 has its-opposite sides flattened toprovide seats against which plates 18 rest, said plates being secured,in position by boltsl9, which and through frame. These plates 18cooperate with similar, substantially triangular plates '20 attached'tothe rectangular portion 1% of the block 13,'the attachment being,also,-carried out by means of bolts2l, the object of said plat-es beingto secure the power plant P to the frame. The crank casing andtransmission gear casing, in the present power'plant, are formed as oneelement- 1d, 'cated'between the cylinders C, and the distance betweenthe free end of the head bar and the similar end of the seat mast issuch as to rea'dlly allow these parts to be posi- The combined crankand'transmission gear casing has a single ear 22 formed on lts frontwall and a pair of,

vertically spaced ears 23 projecting from its rear-wall, the first namedear being secured between the plates 18 by a bolt 24:, while the'ea'rs'23'are positioned between the 'plates 20 and secured theretobybolts 25 It is obvious that bysuch ainea-ns' the power plant may readilybe hung in the correct position -on the vvehicle frame without the usualsuspending arrangement and thereby considerably Freduce the weightof themachine without decreasing its strength and efi'icien-cy.

As will bets een, from Fig. 1 the engine cylinders C of the improvedpower-plantare preferablytwo in'number and opposed, each -of the samebeing extended in opposite directions from, the opposite "walls-of thecrank case. Said cylindersproject from the crank case immediately belowthe lower ends of the head bar'and seat-mast' and extend 1on gitudinallyof the cycle frame. In view of this arrangement the 'magneto,transmission gearingandfother parts of the power plant will occupy ;theposition assumed by the cylinders of the usual up-right'powerplant.

l urthermore the cylinders in 'theipresent machinebeing positioned.longitudinally will not-interfere with the foot boards B. Y v, In orderthatthe ordinary foot boards B may be hung on each side of the powerFig.

said

'p1'ai'1t,"a11 inverted T-shaped bracket 26 is provided, the shankofsuch bracket being "clamped in the arm 17 of the attaching member 17 bythe arrangement shown in The bracket 26 is thus disposed centrally ofthe vehicle frame and immediately in advance of the forward cylinderi'ofthe power plant and its arms 27 project transversely "so that the footboards may be mounted on each side of the forward engine cylinder. Therear ends of the footboards are-supported directly from tllGlilLlikcasing of thepower plantby means of the ears 2 8,

as shown. :The bracket26,-although -itmay be formed of tubing, ispreferablystamped" froma single piece of sheetmetal ben't',"as

= indicated in Fig. 3.

From the foregoing description takenjin connection "with theaccompanying drawings, it will be evident that a' very simplyconstructed motorcycle frame and engil'ie suspension means, has beenproduced, which will be yery eflic'ienti'n operation andwhi'c'rh will bea-considerable 'improvement'ove'r the similar devices at present in use.Various minor changes maybe made in the "form and proportion of theseveral parts to per'mlt them to be used 111 connect on with motorcyclesof yarioiis sizes and power. v

I claim g 1. A vehicle of the class describ'e'd'c'omprising incomb'ina'tiomi'a cycle frain'e including a head bar" and seat-mast,their 1 ow er ends being spaced apart and provided 1 with attachingme'ansfan engine 'casi'ng tlis posed between said e dsandhavnig'attaehngmeans cooperating with the first'mentioned-attachingmeans, and'a' pairof opposedengine cyliiiclersl'extendin'g in op- :posi te' directionsfrom said 'casingbeneath the ends of said headbar and 'seat m-ast, saidcylinders being positioned longitudinallyof the frame. i

vehicle" of the class-describedcom-. 1311S1'I1g in combination, a ccle'frame including a head barf'fand seat-mast, their lower ends being"spaced'apart't'ofform a 1 pair of engine hanger element's, a right-Iangular attaching member secured adjacent 1 the intersection of its arms' to one of-s'aid' hanger elements, an engine disposed between 'lowerends being spaced apart 'to form a pair of engine hanger elements, ar1ghtangular attachmg member secured adjacent .the intersection, ofitsarms to one of said hanger elements, an englne disposed be tween saidhanger elements and secured to one of the same and one arm of therightangular attaching member, an inverted T- shaped bracket having itsshank secured to the other arm of said member, and a pair of footsupports, one being secured to each arm of said inverted T-shapedbracket and to the engine.

4:. The combination with a vehicle frame of the class describedcomprising a reach bar, a seat mast secured at the rear end of the bar,a head bar fixed at the forward end of the reach bar, said seat mast andhead bar being inclined inwardly toward each other to dispose their freeends adjacent each other, a power plant disposed between the free endsof the head bar and seat mast, means for attaching said power plant tosaid free ends, an inverted, T-shaped hanger bracket, means for securingthe shank of said bracket to the head bar adjacent its free end, ears onthe power plant, and supports suspended on each side of the power plantfrom the arms of said T-shaped hanger bracket and said ears.

5. A vehicle of the class described comprising a cycle frame including adownwardly extending bar, an inverted T-shaped bracket, means forsecuring the shank of the bracket to said bar, the arms of said bracketbeing disposed transversely of the frame, and a pair of foot supports,one being attached to each arm of the bracket.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand atMilwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin.

WILLIAM S. HARLEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

